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Compare towns

Rio vs Malabar

57 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (243× in Malabar) and street grid (3.4× in Rio).

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Rio, FLA small town of 1,232Florida · 1,232 people
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Malabar, FLAn outdoors townFlorida · 3,066 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

RioA small town of 1,232
Quiet strengthsRio doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Rio →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,250 more a month in Malabar

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Rio$1,820/mo
Typical home $304K (Census) · tax rate 0.91% · Housing →
Malabar$3,080/mo
Typical home $538K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.57% · Housing →

The difference: $1,250 a month, about $15,100 a year, between Malabar and Rio.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Florida ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
RioMalabar
Snow a year0″0″
January low56°F51°F
July high91°F91°F
Growing season (days)365d359d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)90th91st
Outdoors & history
RioMalabar
Trails0 mi24 mi
Conserved land0.4%16.8%
Settled—1919
Archive photos—1
Community
RioMalabar
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

57 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Rio ↔ Malabar57 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

RioMalabar
People
Population 1,232Lowest 3,066Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +1.6%Lowest FL: +14.6% +7%Highest FL: +14.6%
Median age 58.1±7Highest 36% above FL 53.1±8.2Lowest 25% above FL
Rio and Malabar are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 14.2%±7.8Lowest FL: 19.5% 15.2%±6.1Highest FL: 19.5%
Malabar and Rio are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 37.4%±21.1Highest FL: 21.3% 19.2%±6.8Lowest FL: 21.3%
Rio and Malabar are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 29.5%Lowest FL: 34.1% 40.1%Highest FL: 34.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±1.7Lowest FL: 6.1% 7.4%±4.1Highest FL: 6.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $91,953±$16kLowest 23% above FL $128,698±$47kHighest 73% above FL
Malabar and Rio are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $303,800±$115kLowest 15% below FL $451,100±$22kHighest 26% above FL
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,753Highest about the FL average $2,567Lowest 6% below FL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 100%±100Highest FL: 60.1% 0%±100Lowest FL: 60.1%
Rio and Malabar are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 13.6%Highest FL: 12.6% 3%Lowest FL: 12.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 96.3%Lowest FL: 67.6% 98.8%Highest FL: 67.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1977Lowest 11 yrs older than FL 1993Highest 5 yrs newer than FL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 15 minLowest 46% below FL 26 minHighest 8% below FL
Work from home 0%±3.4Lowest FL: 15.7% 16%±9.1Highest FL: 15.7%
Work in townworking residents 0.3%Lowest 2.5%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 16.3 miHighest 11.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.50Lowest 0.83Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Stuart (20%)Palm Bay (22%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in MalabarFew work in Rio
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.4%Lowest 16.8%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.1 miLowest 24.3 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 1.8 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 7Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 50.2Highest 14.9Lowest
Florida average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Rio neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Rio’s Town Square.

Malabar neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Malabar’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Rio and Malabar

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Rio

Towns like Rio

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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